Ideally, Ennis Rakestraw will hit the ground running in his second season with the Lions. Realistically, he might stumble. And both things can happen at once.
That's the NFL. That's the life of a young cornerback. The Lions have high hopes this year for Rakestraw, the former second-round pick. They also have an appreciation for the hurdles in his path after injuries limited him to a smattering of defensive snaps as a rookie.
Brad Holmes signaled as much when he brought in three veteran cornerbacks in free agency, headlined by $48 million man D.J. Reed, a year after double-dipping at the position with his top two picks in the draft. Then he said as much at the NFL owners meetings last month.
"I knew that we had to be in that corner market," he said. "That’s not anything against Rakestraw. We’re still excited about Rakestraw, but unfortunately he had injuries and he wasn’t healthy enough to provide us a little bit more clarity in terms of where he was going to be, so I didn’t think it was going to be rational for us to depend on him.
"But I know how Rakestraw is wired and this is going to be fuel for him to be ready and compete."
Rakestraw was slowed out of the gate last spring as he recovered from core muscle surgery for an injury he suffered at Missouri. He found his stride in camp despite missing some time with an ankle injury and revealed after the season that he was slated to start at nickel in Week 2 against the Buccaneers, only to be felled by a hamstring injury in warmups shortly before kickoff.
The hamstring cost Rakestraw a couple games and plagued him for the next couple months until the Lions shut him down for the season. In his absence, veteran Amik Robertson grabbed hold of the starting job in the slot and later proved his value on the outside. Robertson will enter camp this year as the starter at nickel, with Reed and Terrion Arnold on the outside.
But that alignment isn't written in ink. Rakestraw will have every chance to force his way into the starting lineup, and will likely play significant snaps either way. Veteran imports Avonte Maddox and Rock Ya-Sin will provide depth and additional competition in the slot. And inevitable injuries in the secondary will create opportunities that don't currently exist.
The Lions' best team this year features Rakestraw playing an important role. His draft pedigree demands it. And the size and shape of that role will be molded by Rakestraw himself. Dan Campbell wouldn't put it in anyone else's hands.
"We’re not down on him," Campbell said last month. "We’re not disappointed. We expect him to go in there and compete, man. And there is nothing set in stone. You draft guys where you do and you sign guys according to what you believe they’re going to be for you, but the best man’s going to play. So he’s very much in that mix.
Kelvin Sheppard knows this roster well, having served as linebackers coach in Detroit prior to taking over as defensive coordinator. When he was asked in his first interview in his new role which of his players are ready to leap forward this year, he pointed first to Arnold, second to Rakestraw.
The Lions love Rakestraw's feistiness in coverage and his willingness to come up and tackle, two traits that started to shine in camp last year as he closed in on a starting job. He's scrappy in a way that makes him perfectly suited for this team and this defense, similar to Robinson. Rakestraw might not have the same bark, but he has just as much bite.
"An NFL player, most of the time, the biggest jump of growth you make is between year one and year two," Campbell said, noting that Rakestraw did pitch in on special teams in his eight games last year. "So I would anticipate this guy takes another step up, man."